Ignore Me Not
by starsmeetsky
Summary: It's been a long time since they beat Sburb, and even longer since they had their only kiss. But awkward feelings arise when Jade realizes that they are responsible for the survival of the human species. M for language and sexual themes. Dave and Jade.
1. A Small Request of Giant Meaning

If I put my hands around your wrists  
>Would you fight them?<br>If I put my fingers in your mouth  
>Would you bite them?<br>So many things that I would do  
>If I had my way with you.<br>I can't keep secrets that I know  
>How you want me<br>You can tear your nails into my skin  
>You won't stop me<br>You can twist and scream into the air  
>But no one can hear you here<p>

And there will be no tenderness  
>No tenderness<br>And there will be no tenderness  
>No tenderness<br>I will show no mercy for you  
>You have no mercy for me<br>The only thing that I ask  
>Love me mercilessly<p>

The Bravery- **Hatefuck**

* * *

><p>They were there, all right.<p>

The small, warm feelings that she'd been trying so hard to ignore as of late kept stirring inside her every time her favorite cool kid was in the same room as him. They'd only shared, what, one kiss? And that had been strictly businesslike, or so she told herself. Either way, it hadn't been the best of first kisses- their one and only kiss had been traumatizing, to say the least. She'd never forget the taste of copper on his lips, still warm, slippery with blood, and worst of all, freshly dead. Or the stare of the monster that had once been a girl's best friend, boring into her unprotected back.

She'd had countless dreams of him, mostly nightmares from that one kiss, but lately things had been getting hotter and hotter, to the point where she woke up gasping for breath, her body sticky with sweat, and, in the case of her upper thighs, other bodily fluids.

It was one thing, she thought, observing him as he casually sipped the apple juice she'd brought him, to know that she'd never have him. But thanks to Sburb, which they'd finally managed to beat a while ago, they were two of the last few humans in existence, and he was the only person that could she procreate with (she blushed at the thought) if they were to avoid incest. They would, one way or another, end up together.

What hurt was that it was no longer even a matter of choice. Dave Strider, the lanky eighteen year old guy sprawled on her sofa, would eventually end up marrying her. And although she knew she had no problem with it, it killed her to think that Dave would be doing this out of responsibility. He wasn't one to shirk responsibility- they had babies to make. With the help of John and his knowledge of ectobiology, they'd be able to create kids with different genetic patterns, to help the world repopulate.

Which, although she tried to avoid the thought of it, meant sex. A lot of sex. They were definitely old enough- now would be the perfect time to start working on those kids. And yes, they had been living together for almost a year now, but nothing had happened. It was as if he had absolutely no interest in her, which had bruised her ego.

He probably still thought of her as the scared thirteen year old that had woken him from his death slumber by nervously kissing him. The silly girl, who had faded away to become a woman. And yes, he had to blind not to notice that she'd grown up. She had hips and breasts and long legs she was secretly kind of proud of. Her face had grown out of its childish puffiness into something that could be considered beautiful. Her teeth had been straightened out a bit. She had curves, and she had thoughts, and needs.

Needs he had to have too. She knew he woke up early in the morning for a reason- she'd heard him in the bathroom. He made sure to keep their laundry separate, and they avoided the room with the bed big enough for two lovers- the one they both knew they'd eventually end up in together. He had to be thinking the same things as her.

She wondered if, he was, like she was, scared shitless too.

John and Rose had already started trying. She'd talked to Rose a few days ago, and she'd confided that there was a possibility that she was pregnant. The words had been a dull blow to the abdomen- they'd already gotten past the awkwardness, admitted they loved each other, and hit the sack. Probably because Rose wasn't one to deal with this type of bullshit- she'd cut straight to the chase, and started sleeping with her brother.

There had been a surprisingly uncharacteristically unsubtle implication from Rose when she'd told her this that they'd better start trying soon too. This was why she was worrying so much at the moment, even more than usual.

Jade Harley needed to get her head on straight and, feelings or no feelings, start sleeping with Dave if they wanted to preserve the human race.

* * *

><p>She was terrified.<p>

That was natural, of course, seeing as she was a nervous virgin trying to get the boy she might or might not have some serious feelings for to sleep with her. To preserve the human race. She kept repeating this to herself, a mumbled mantra, as she nervously fidgeted with the hem of her nightgown. It was a simple white satin dress, with spaghetti straps, brushing the tops of her knees, and lined with a tiny bit of lace at the neckline, which skimmed the top of her breasts, and the hem.

Nothing too seductive, but it clung ever so slightly, and it didn't really hide her curves. She'd picked the prettiest pair of pajamas she owned to talk to Dave about this, seeing as she didn't actually own anything resembling sexy lingerie. As it was, this sexy enough- she'd made it, thinking about later on, but now it just served as another reminder of her virginity and general lack of experience when it came to sex. And now she was shaking with all the feelings she'd been trying to hide.

Oh god. How was she going to say this… propose this… idea?

"_The human race,_"she muttered, fingers curling into a fist as she got ready to knock on Dave's bedroom door. "We need to continue on…"

She took in a deep breath, coughed from inhaling too deeply, and, steeling herself, knocked once, twice, three times. From behind the wooden door, she could hear rustling, as Dave got up off his bed, and the muted sound of bare feet against the carpeted floor. She only had time to pull her hair back into a ponytail with the white ribbon she'd been holding onto before the door swung open, and she heard Dave's familiar voice go, "Oh, what's up, Harley- um, whoa."

She managed to look up now- she'd been staring at her bare feet, her face pink from the blood that was probably rushing to her cheeks right about now. She felt like a desperate girl who had thrown herself at him. Chanting _the human race _inside her head, she managed to blink and look at him clearly. He had the disheveled look of someone who had been chilling out, listening to music, and had rolled out of bed. Clothes rumpled, hair messy, and if her eyes weren't lying, cheeks a tiny bit pinker than they usually were, Dave Strider looked like his usual knee weakening, good looking, shades wearing, badass motherfucking self.

"Harley? What's up?"

His voice was calm, relaxed, but she could hear the confusion in it underneath the coolkid surface, as well as something else she couldn't really identify. She swallowed the saliva that had collected in her mouth, and cleared her throat one last time for good measure. "Um, can I come in? There's something important I want to talk about."

Dave didn't react, but she knew that behind those shades his eyes had probably just widened in realization. He wasn't stupid. They were basically destined to fuck, she'd shown up dressed differently than usual, and she wanted to 'talk'.

He shrugged slightly and gestured inside with a jerk of his chin. "Sure."

She tentatively followed him in, making sure not to step on any of the CD cases that were scattered around the room, or worse, one of his swords. "Sorry it's a bit messy- I was trying to sort my collection and all. It's a serious pain in the ass to have to look through all these motherfucking CDs whenever I want to listen to something that isn't complete shit. Egbert gave me a fuckload of CDs for my birthday. Fucking soundtracks to all his shitty Nic Cage movies that he loves unironically. Goddamnit, your brother has the worst taste sometimes." He gestured around airily with his left hand. "Feel free to take a seat anywhere."

She nodded nervously, settling on the edge of his bed. He strolled over to a chair, tossing his feet up on his desk, with his head in her general direction. "What is it you wanted to talk about?" He put his arms behind his head, the very picture of relaxed coolness.

Jade took a deep breath before beginning. "Well, I've been thinking lately. It's been a long time since the game ended, and the world is- well, we're the last human beings and I-" She paused to breathe, before shoving her face into her hands. "Oh god. I can't do this." She felt her entire face heating up and she swore she could feel Dave looking at her from his seat.

There was a long pause before he spoke. "Jade…" He swallowed, hard, his voice uncharacteristically nervous. "What are you trying to say? Do you… do you mean that we should…"

She steeled herself for her very next words, and they came out, nervous and positively dripping with embarrassment. "Have sex? Yeah."

There was an even longer silence as she tried her very best to defy all sorts of logic and disappear. A warm hand under her chin, forcing her to look up, showed her that she'd failed. Dave's mouth showed what his eyes, obscured by dark glass, couldn't. Worry. For her. She felt a warm wave of something she wasn't sure what to call wash through her. Not relief, but a sort of satisfaction that he, on some level at least, cared for her. Even if it was just friendship.

"I care about you too much to let something like this… be determined by what the universe needs. No offense to anyone, but fuck the universe."

His voice was more serious than she'd expected it to be. "If you fucking think that I'm going to go ahead and get into your pants when you're so obviously scared, you can forget about it. Repopulating the world can wait. You're terrified. And you're a person, not a motherfucking baby factory. You're my friend." His voice dropped an octave or two. "Not a cum dumpster."

She stiffened in response. "But… Rose and John-"

"Rose and John have a thing, okay? Rose and John have been together for years. It's different. Their relationship has taken its natural turn of events- meet, be friends, kiss, fall in love, fuck. I can't just fuck you over and over again for the sake of reproduction. I respect you as a person, Harley. Do you have any idea… how I'd feel if that were the only thing between us? I can't do it."

Something inside her chest thumped painfully. It took her a moment to realize that yes, that was her heart. "You're saying you can't have sex with me because you don't love me or something? This is the world we're talking about. It's not just about you or me. Yeah, I'm scared. I'd have to fucking give birth. But this is bigger than either one of us. This is about humanity as a whole!"

It took her a moment to realize the burning in her throat was because she'd been screaming. And that her damp cheeks were because she was crying. And that she was shaking, her arms around herself. "I'm scared too. But…"

"When the fuck did I say I didn't love you, Harley?" There was an undercurrent to his voice, one that scared her and enthralled her simultaneously.

She looked up, surprised if anything else. Dave's forehead was furrowed, whether in anger or concentration, she couldn't tell. "When did I say it? Can I have a direct quote? Oh that's right, you can't fucking find it, because I didn't say that."

"S-so you mean-"

"Get a clue, will you? I've been crazy about you for years. But you were always so fucking sweet and prim and oblivious. Fucking blind to everything. I thought you just wanted to be friends. And I thought, if that's what she wants, then I'm not going to be the prick who forces her to fuck him under the pretense of baby making. I'm an asshole, but I'm not that much of an asshole.

"Do you think I haven't noticed you? Do you know how fucking hard it's been, whenever you smile at me the way you do when you're happy, or when you when you hug me? You think I don't dream about you at night? I love it when you blush after making a mistake or how you can be so cute and yet the biggest badass I know. You're so sweet, always, even when I'm being a dick. Do you think I don't remember that you kissed me?" He paused for a second. "I wish I'd been alive to feel it."

There was the longest silence yet, broken by Dave groaning, his face in his palms. "Okay, that was probably the most uncool moment of my life. But it's all true, every single sappy as shit word."

"Oh my god." There was a hysterical edge to her voice, and then she was laughing, tears streaming down her face. The irony. The fucking irony. "Oh my god,"

"What? Harley, are you okay-"

She cut him off, by wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, until his face was so close to hers she could taste his breath. "Harley…"

"You're just as fucking oblivious as I am, then." She whispered, "All this time, I thought you thought of me as a friend. All this time…" She shook her head. "You've had no clue, how much I've loved you, Coolkid Stri-"

This time, it was Dave who cut her off, pressing his lips against hers in a very gentle, soft movement that definitely beat the last time their lips had touched, almost five years ago. His fingers worked their way up against her face, and he held her there for a few seconds more before he pulled away to breathe.

"You have no fucking idea how long I've waited to do that." He exhaled, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Better than I imagined, too."

This time, Jade didn't hesitate to press her lips against his, the kiss this time a little less sweet and a little more sensual. "Show me how much you love me, Strider." Another kiss, this one on the edge of her lips. _Make me say your name. _Another, at her jaw line. _More._ At the base of her throat.

She was surprised at how this mostly came naturally, as if their bodies knew just what to do, and their raw need made up for the rest. His fingers trailed against her body, hands settling onto her small waist, as she guided him forward towards her.

His lips were on her collarbone when he pulled away. "I can't do this, Harley." When he saw her about to protest, he pressed a finger against her lips. "It's not that I don't want you, actually, very much the opposite. But-" He paused momentarily. "It's too soon. Let's give it some time, okay? Work our way there."

She sat up, hair mussed. "You're kidding me." She'd come here to get laid, and here he was, leading her on, and now this?

"Not, I'm not. Now, get to sleep. It's late." He yawned and she sullenly scrambled off his bed. "Wear that next time, though." She wore she saw him grin as she slipped out his door, face red and knowing she'd never be able to match him, coolness wise.

* * *

><p>There will probably be a second chapter. Probably.<p>

Reviews are appreciated. I need feedback.


	2. Temper Tantrums and Italian

Things grew over time.

Her pumpkins, for example, looked amazing this time of the year. It was almost time for the harvest, something she'd always enjoyed, year after year, from before Sburb when her only companion was Becquerel to now. But her garden wasn't the only thing blooming in the house, as she was constantly reminded by Dave.

Of course, the coolkid himself was too cool to actually flat out say it, but some things didn't need words. First of all, the number of sloppy makeouts had increased dramatically over the weeks. She'd found herself kissing Strider a lot more as of late (not that that was hard, seeing as they'd gone from one kiss to daily makeout sessions), but was still nice. And Dave had a casual charm that could make any sappy eyed girl weak at the knees. She was made of sterner stuff, though.

Not that she protested. She could be doing anything, and he would almost indifferently surprise her with a quick kiss. It was almost infuriating. And yet it was so _him. _So typical of the cool kid to hide any feelings of his behind the aviators she still had yet to see him not wear.

Anyway, it was probably a good thing they were getting closer. Rose's hinting was becoming less and less obvious. She knew she had a point, and that they were responsible for making as many kids as possible before they died. Rose was on her way with an excellent head start too- she was pregnant. Something she had decided to break to her brother over dinner, despite her frantic protests.

Oh god oh god oh god.

The bitch.

Which wasn't the nicest thing to call one of your best friends, but it made her angry. Why was Rose so desperate to have Dave fuck her into a mattress? She was eighteen going onto nineteen, for fuck's sake. She had a good twenty years in which she could start working on the kids. But nooo. Rose had to pressure her into it.

Whether it sounded naive or not, she had never wanted her first time to be about making kids. She'd always hoped that she'd gift the one thing she could never get back to someone because she loved them. She wasn't the waiting for marriage type, exactly, but she didn't and wouldn't have minded if it turned out that way. It seemed sweet and romantic to her, the way it should be. She'd wait until she knew it was right.

And she did think she loved Dave. She really did. What was love if not wanting the other person to be happy, caring about them and doing what it took to keep them safe, dreaming about them, and maybe even secretly wondering how it would be like with her in his arms?

But she wanted to know he felt the same about her, wanted to know it wasn't about the kids, wanted to know he wanted her because she was her and not because she was a she, the only girl left on the planet for him, before she chose to go further.

If Sburb had never happened, Dave would have been draped in chicks who wanted him because he was cool and handsome and had a smirk that could bring a girl to her knees. She knew that. All she had to offer him was herself, complete with all her flaws and imperfections. She hoped it'd be enough.

* * *

><p>The atmosphere around the table was heavy and thick, like thunderclouds on a hot summer day. On the surface, it seemed fine, but the air was static and crackling with electricity.<p>

"You're _what_?" If she didn't know him any better, she would have thought he was merely mildly surprised.

But no. Dave Strider was legitimately stunned. John and Rose could tell too, in the way that only your closest friends could tell how you felt from the smallest hints. She knew they knew from the quick glance they gave each other. The cool kid rarely showed so much emotion. For a second she wondered what would make him completely lose his cool, but turned her attention back to Rose, who was casually forking linguini with pesto sauce and sprinkled parmesan into her mouth as if she hadn't just dropped a bomb on Dave's head.

"I'm pregnant," She repeated, her face a perfect mask of serenity contrasting her heavily sarcastic tone. "It's what happens when you stick a pe-"

"Hey. I think I'm entitled to a little bit of ohmygodwhat seeing as I just found out my best friend knocked up my sister." He turned towards John, who almost guiltily put the piece of garlic bread he'd been nibbling on back onto his plate. "Dude. Not cool."

" You two should probably get working on the kids yourselves. It's been a long time. The world isn't going to repopulate itself, you know." Rose's voice was dry and vaguely smug. "The linguini's really good too, Jade. Did you learn to cook while you lived alone on the island?"

She felt her mouth go dry, her palms damp. The sudden urge to throw the breadbasket at Rose's smug pregnant face wasn't like her. She opened her mouth, probably to shout something inappropriate and insulting at Rose. Rose, who was smart and clever and beautiful and smug and pregnant and oh god she was going to regret screaming at her probably because she'd just shrug it off and drop some sarcastic comeback and oh god she was hyperventilating.

Before she could, though, John grabbed Rose's arm. "Come on. Don't be like that Rose." He turned to look at Dave, and then Jade, looking rather concerned. "I'm sorry, dude. It's- wait, Jade, are you... okay?"

No, she was not okay. But they didn't need to know that. "I'm fine. Totally okay-"

"What the fuck, Rose."

Dave's classic deadpan voice cut her off. "Why are you doing this? It isn't a race, you know. And you're freaking Jade the fuck out." She stiffened as Rose looked at her, looking slightly less smug and a bit more concerned.

"I'm just saying you guys should sort out any issues you have and hit the sack already, that's all-"

That was it. She stood up so abruptly she knocked over her chair. "This is bullshit." She slammed her palms down onto the table. "What I decide to do and who I decide to do and when is none of your fucking business, Rose. You're smart. So get that into your head."

The stunned faces were almost amusing, but she didn't take the time to look at them, instead choosing to run out of the room. Great. Now she looked like a stupid immature kid.

She stumbled up the stairs and found the nearest door with her hands. She couldn't see through the tears that were dripping down her face. Just a stupid kid, grown up too fast. She saw a glimpse of white before she collapsed on the bed, curled up.

Goddamnit, she hadn't hated herself this much since Jadesprite.

Even with her face buried in a mound of pillows, and the sound of blood rushing through her head, she could hear arguing from the floor below. She couldn't make out the words, exactly, but Rose sounded defensive, Dave sounded aggravated, and John was obviously trying to be diplomatic, and failing horribly as Rose and Dave bickered, completely ignoring him and his attempts at making peace.

It took a while, but the sounds faded away and there was only silence. She rolled onto her side, still clutching her pillow, and was surprised by a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Dave. She hadn't heard him slip into the room, probably because the pillow and carpet muffled the sound of him walking in.

"Hey. You okay?"

It was a stupid question, and they both knew it, but she nodded mutely out of instinct. "I'm fine." she whispered, wondering if she looked half as pathetically miserable as she felt. She pushed the pillow she was holding aside, and realized she had stumbled into the room they were supposed to share once they got down to sleeping with each other. Oh, great, something to make her feel better.

Perhaps Dave had noticed where they were too, or at least realized the significance of it, because he cleared his throat. "Wanna talk in the living room?"

She opened her mouth, probably to agree, but shut it again. "I'm fine here." It was stupid of her to always try and avoid the unavoidable- she might as well start facing the facts, a bit at a time. Not run away. Jade Harley did not run away from things when she could fight them. She hadn't done so to save her own skin, choosing to save John from the meteor, even at the cost of her own life. Not when Bec attacked them. She hadn't sat down and cried when Dave was bleeding on the floor. No. She dealt with shit and did what she needed to do. It was her MO.

An eyebrow quirked upwards behind his aviators, but he sat down onto the bed instead of protesting. "Fair enough. I talked with Rose- she was trying to spew all her psycho-babble bullshit about how I was trying to ignore the facts and what not, but I more or less told her to fuck off and leave you alone."

"That's not exactly the nicest thing to say to your sister."

"Hey, you weren't too nice yourself, Harley."

She shrugged, still slightly embarrassed. "I'll have to go back and apologize now, I guess."

"Nah. Rose doesn't care. You know that. You're just embarrassed. And if anything, the freaky goth shrink should apologize first."

"But I still shouldn't have called her a meddling bitch."

"You didn't."

Oops.

"It's alright, really." There was a faint smirk on the coolkid's lips. "Although that isn't the nicest thing to say to one of your best friends, is it?"

_Touché, coolkid._ Jade smiled back at him, even though her face was somewhat flushed. "You're an ass sometimes, you know?"

"Part of the charm, Harley."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." She hesitantly leaned in to kiss Dave's cheek, and he flinched in surprise. "Um, sorry."

"You just caught me off guard." Swooping down, he kissed her softly before standing up. "I have to go. Is that okay?"

"Sure. "

It was getting darker when she slid back into the room. The sun had set a while ago, but the sky was still purple, darkening by the minute. She was starting to get tired. It wasn't too late- it was late summer, and the sun set late around this time of year, but it'd been a very long day and she just wanted to sleep. Relax. Get her mind off of things.

But if that was what she really wanted, why was she slipping back into the room with the huge white bed?

She didn't know. And she didn't care.

The white cotton nightgown fluttering around her knees was irking her, a constant reminder of what she was really hoping for. She clambered back into the bed, smooth, cool sheets and thick, warm comforter immediately hiding her from view. And the pillows- soft and fluffy- she could already feel herself drifting off to sleep. It was just too easy to fall asleep in a place as comfortable as this, and that was without her narcoleptic tendencies kicking in.

She decided right there and then she was going to keep sleeping in this bed, alone or not, as the world winked out and she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>It was a while before she felt anything, but somehow she blearily woke up, light flooding her eyes and causing her to flinch instinctively. Her glasses were still on, although they were crooked, and she took a moment to push them up the bridge of her nose before she took a look around. The lights were on, and it took her a moment to notice Dave standing in the doorway, leaning ever so casually in a white t-shirt and a pair of red boxers.<p>

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead." There was a grin on his face, and she sleepily turned to the windows, with their curtains only slightly parted, to check what time it was. It was probably not even midnight, but she was exhausted, having just woken up from a few hours sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she managed to yawn out a vaguely coherent sentence that even she could barely understand.

"Whaaaisihhhkewked..."

"Lovely to see you're all awake and shit." He sauntered closer to the bed, casually sitting down. "I was thinking..."

"Yes? What is it?"

Jade snapped out of her semi conscious state, to fully alert in just a few seconds. She managed to prop herself up onto her elbows as he leaned forward.

He looked at her oddly for a second before continuing. "I was thinking that maybe there's a reason you're so nervous when it comes to, um, sex." His voice faltered for an instant when he spoke, but he managed to continue on. "Erm, I was thinking...if..."

She looked at him through half lidded eyes. "Spit it out already, Dave."

"I mean, I know it's just a gesture, but-" He reached out for her left hand all of the sudden, catching her off guard, although she let him hold it. "I've been your friend since we were kids, I've liked you since we were thirteen and I've loved you for years. I don't know- you're bubbly and smiley- you never put up with my coolkid bullshit, you're tough and badass and beautiful...

"I mean, I am a guy, and on some level you're probably thinking I'm just telling you this because I want to get in your pants. But I would wait forever for you."

"You're a time traveler. Forever isn't necessarily a long time for you," she quipped, brushing hair out of her face with her spare hand. "But go on."

He sighed, a small smile curling up at the edge of his mouth. "Very true. But I came to show you." From a pocket he produced a small circle. It took her a second to realize it was a daisy tied up into the shape of a ring.

She looked up at him, a grin on her face. "With all the boonbucks and grist we still have left over, you'd think you could make something a little bit more durable."

"Metal doesn't suit you. And anyway, flowers bloom every morning. Gold wears away. Plus, flowers are prettier."

"Fair enough." She let him slip the ring onto the third finger of her left hand. "Does this mean we're married?"

"How about engaged? Or engaged to be engaged? We can't really get officially get married, and either way, it doesn't really matter, does it? Think of it as a promise- I won't be dick about this whole thing."

"Shhhh."

She leaned forward to kiss him, and tentatively wrapped her arms around his neck as she did, slowly pulling him down into the bed with her. He responded, slightly bewildered but willing. He kissed her softly, once, twice, three times, leaving a trail of them down her neck, stopping only to nuzzle the soft skin in the space between her neck and her shoulders.

She in turn brought his head back up to her face, where she kissed him again. His hands snaked down around waist. Hesitantly, she ran her hands down his chest, her fingers curling around the hem of his shirt. Suddenly, she felt hands on her wrists and Dave rolled over so he was lying next to her, so quickly she could only gasp.

"You have got to stop leading me on if you're just going to stop all of the sudden," She muttered, glaring at him through her hair, mussed from their little makeout session. "Seriously."

"What? Do I make you all hot and bothered?" She could hear the smirk in his voice, even if she couldn't see his face properly.

"Seriously though, why'd you stop? I thought I had problems with this, not you."

I don't want our first time to be because I proposed to you. It seems..." His voice trailed off, and she frowned.

"Is that's what's bothering you? That you think I'd be screwing you out of some fucked up sense of obligation?" A frown creased her forehead as she looked at him, but it faded away when he leaned in to kiss her again.

"Maybe. But maybe it's because I don't think I want or need this right now. Sex, I mean. I'm happy with just this."

He brought his feet up to his chest and used his arms to pull the covers over both of them. "Can we just cuddle?"

"Cuddling doesn't seem very cool."

"Fuck that shit."

"Fine." She let him curl up next to her, a small smile spreading across her lips as she felt his arms wrapping around her. She simply lay there until she heard the low sound of Dave's steady breathing that told her he was asleep. Sleep claimed her soon after.

* * *

><p>For some reason, Jade woke up suddenly in the middle of the night. She turned over, or at least tried to. Something wouldn't let her move. Peeking below the covers, she realized what it was. Dave's arm was curled around her waist, holding her close to his body like she was a teddy bear. His mouth was right by her ear, and between small, sporadic snores, and the steady deep in and out whistling of his breathing, she could make out vague sounds that sounded suspiciously like words.<p>

A noise, comparatively louder than the others, startled her. She swore he had mumbled Jade, and the thought made her smile. In either case, it was too late to be doing anything else but dreaming. As her mind went under, she felt a warm glow inside her ribcage as he murmured her name again in his sleep.

* * *

><p>So many page breaks O_O<p>

But yes, a second chapter after a month! Thanks for the reviews, guys.

Also, just a disclaimer, if there's a third chapter, it will probably have more fluff. And sex. Actual, legitimate smut, not just these two making out. Welp.


	3. Striders Always Propose with Shades

Time went by faster than she could blink.

What happened once happened again, and again, until one day she realized that their own rooms had become little more than giant closets for their belongings and she was sleeping in the same bed as Dave every single night, where they could kiss and cuddle and whisper sweet nothings to each other. It had become a custom of theirs to meet up, make out, and fall asleep. But nothing more. They had their limits.

To what extent their limits would hold up to temptation was a question Jade kept asking herself, as their makeouts seemed to be ending with just a little bit more gasping for breath when they were done. Again, she wondered what it would be like- making love with Dave.

The way she'd always thought of it, sex was something you could have with anyone. A guy you met in a bar, a desperate whore on a street corner or in an alley, an unwilling child, your mistress. Lovemaking, however old-fashioned it sounded, was the physical expression of love, with the possible side effect of children.

Which brought her to another thought- they didn't have contraception. They wouldn't use any even if they did, of course, because the whole entire point of this was that the world needed children, and children were the product of unprotected sex. The thought of a baby growing inside of her made her nervous. It no longer terrified her as it had a few months ago, but she was still uneasy about having to give birth. But that wasn't something she would be able to avoid, now would it?

Pulling up the hem of her pretty nightgown in the mirror, she looked at her tummy. Staring at the skin right over the hem of her underwear, she wondered how it must be like for Rose, to see a growing bump there. Was it scary? Did it make her feel like a better person, knowing she would be the first mother of their universe?

Shedding the dress entirely over her head, she stared at the mirror critically. She could say she had a nice body, but she still felt slightly uncomfortable with Dave seeing her without her clothes on. She slid her underclothes off, and scrutinized her naked body. Curves in the right places, a flat stomach (being a vegetarian had its perks, despite having to maintain a garden year-round). She was average when it came to her height, but her legs were long and pretty nice. She wondered if she should shave them in preparation- wait, she already had. No reason to procrastinate.

In any case, she felt she was ready now. She looked at herself in the mirror one more time before slipping her clothes back on, heart pounding and butterflies fluttering about as she went back to meet Dave in their bedroom. She was nervous, but excited too, unlike the first time she had decided to seduce Dave. It wasn't so much a panicky, desperate feeling, more like a wave of anticipation. She straightened out her dress and pushed her hair out of her face. If she had her way, these clothes wouldn't be staying on for much longer.

Dave was listening to music with his headphones on when she slipped back in, but pulled them off and tossed his iPod onto the nightstand when he saw her come in.

"Hey, Harley."

She clutched her fists, and felt the daisy stem ring he had made for her this morning cut into her ring finger. He had always insisted on picking a fresh flower every day and almost ceremoniously putting it onto her finger as a gesture that their love would always be blooming, or something sappy and stupid like that. It almost sounded like a line from one of those shoujo mangas the Japanese pilots who brought her supplies used to gift to her every once in a while.

She was determined. Tonight was the night.

"Hey." The sheets were surprisingly cool against her body, and realized she was warm. Probably from anxiety. Or excitement.

Dave frowned as he turned to look at her. "You seem a bit off. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah..." Her voice trailed off as she looked at him, and briefly imagined him naked, holding her close...

"Seriously, Jade, you're kinda freaking me out." He tiled his head down, his shades lowered so he could catch a better glimpse of her, but not enough so that she could properly see his irises.

A sudden impulse took her, and she cautiously placed her hand on the wrist that was tilting the shades down. He jerked back in surprise, shoving the glasses up his nose as he did. She rolled her eyes in exasperation and tugged on his wrist, suddenly morbidly curious about his eyes. None of them knew what color they were, it occurred to her, and she decided right there and then that Dave Strider was not getting laid until she got to see his eyes.

"Let me seeeeeeeee."

"Why?" He was frowning now, and she wondered why he was so upset about his eyes. She tugged firmly, and his glasses slid down an inch, enough for her to see his eyes- had he not shut them immediately.

"Oh, come on!" She managed to wrestle the shades out of his hand, and immediately tossed them out of reach. She swore she heard him groan, and, an arm over his eyes, he tried feeling around for his shades on the bed, patting everywhere. She grinned- they were actually on the floor, but she'd let him try and find them without being able to see.

Something heavy and warm dropped onto her upper thigh, exposed from having sat up in bed. She slowly looked up, realizing the warm thing was a hand, that was connected to an arm. Dave's arm.

The owner of the hand didn't immediately realize what he was groping until his fingers found the hem of her panties. Jade coughed pointedly, and Dave's head tilted down behind his arm to see what he was grabbing.

In all her life, Jade had never seen someone's face turn so violently red so quickly. She couldn't help but laugh, despite her embarrassment. He dropped his arm in shock, and, tomato colored, began spluttering out apologies. But that wasn't the only thing that was bright red. He'd forgotten to cover his eyes- which were a bright scarlet. He realized this quickly, and hastily threw his arm around his face again, but it was too late. She'd seen his eyes.

"It's okay." She knew he knew that she was talking about both things. Gently, she lowered his arm from his face. Without his shades, with his mask of coolness shattered, he looked surprisingly younger. Almost childlike.

"I think I like you better this way, anyway." She traced his face with his fingers. The boy whose eyes he was looking into were almost vulnerable, used to hiding behind the tinted glass. They were beautiful, little rubies set into a pale face.

"Jade..." His mouth opened to speak and closed, obviously unsure of what to say.

"I think I'm ready." She spoke without an ounce of hesitation, knowing that Dave would know exactly what she meant. And he did. His eyes widened ever so slightly (she loved his facial expressions. He was no longer trying to hide) as he looked at her, and when he finally spoke, his voice wasn't much more than a whisper.

"Are you sure?"

She brought her lips to his, kissing him very softly before pulling away and smiling.

"Completely."

Dave sighed, a small grin playing out of the edge of his lips. "Let me guess- you wanted to see my eyes before we..."

"I know how sappy that sounds, but I guess so." She sighed and sat back onto her heels. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all." He grinned, obviously nervous. Because that was they were, two virgins nervously fumbling around.

She decided she was going to cut through the awkwardness and reached up to kiss him again. Once. Twice. Deeper. She felt his tongue probing her mouth cautiously. She responded, and she could feel her face heating up already, and pulled away for air to see Dave in a similar state. There weren't any barriers anymore- he wasn't even trying to be cool anymore. She kissed him again, her fingers curling up in his white-blonde hair, as he began to kiss down her neck. She felt her breath coming in small gasps, her heart speeding up.

When he got to her shoulder, he hesitated briefly before pushing the strap of her dress down with his teeth. She shuddered at his touch, raising goosebumps. His hands ran down her arms, making her shudder again. Her hands slid down his back, fingers curling around the bottom hem, and hesitated before tugging it upwards. He shrugged out of it, shoulders twitching as she pulled up over his head.

She stopped breathing for a moment as her eyes ran down his bare torso, and realized her face was warm again. Twining her arms around his heck again, his hands skimmed down her sides, and she could feel the warmth of them through the thin cloth. Warmth was beginning to pool in her lower abdomen by the time he made his way to the bottom of the dress, which, at this point, had slid up to her waist. Dave hesitated before pulling the dress over her head, temporarily obscuring her sight with flimsy white cloth, which she impatiently tugged off, knocking her glasses off. The world went blurry for a few seconds before she was able to find them and put them on, to see Dave looking at her with an expression she couldn't identify.

"You're beautiful, you know."

He leaned in close to kiss her, the fingers from one hand curling up in her hair, the other trailing down her back, tickling her. Her heart responded. It had been working harder all day, due to nerves and her scheming, but now it was a drum, beating almost angrily, so hard she could almost feel it pushing against her sternum, blood rushing in her ears. A tattoo of blood, almost deafening her.

How long, she wondered off-handedly, did they have before they were completely naked? Dave's lips were skimming down her torso, and her body was already beginning to react to his touch. Had she not been more preoccupied by the fact that Dave was trying to unhook her bra, she would have probably been a bit more embarrassed. In any case, she took to looking at his face while he struggled with the clasp. She'd never thought he'd have such expressive eyes, and in any case, she was still surprised he'd dropped the coolkid facade so completely, if even for one night. On some level, she knew it was for her sake- unless he was nervous too? And he was _still _struggling with that clasp.

Goddamnit, this was getting irritating. She pulled herself up by her elbows, just enough for her to bat his hands away and easily undo the one thing that was still covering her. Welp. Dave was staring at her tits like they were made of diamonds or something. His face was reminiscent of a schoolboy reading a dirty magazine. Boys would be boys, she guessed, cool or not. Mentally, she rolled her eyes and freed herself from the pink lace, dropping it over the side of the bed. She'd pick that up later.

Dave cautiously reached for her exposed breasts. She turned her head when she felt hands on them. Curious hands. Without even looking at a mirror, she knew she was completely red in the face. An experimental pinch made her squirm. Dave was tweaking her nipples between his fingers, and she was trying not to make any noise. Goddamnit, those were sensiti- _ah_. Was that a tongue? A small whimper escaped her lips, and Dave's hand, the one that wasn't playing around with her other boob, started making its way down her torso, tickling her stomach. They trailed over the thin cloth between her legs, and she squirmed, a quiet moan, almost a whisper, escaping her lips. Down the insides of her thighs, and back up.

She finally intervened, putting a hand on his wrist when his fingers slid under the flimsy lace of her panties. Breathing in deeply, she spoke for the first time in a few minutes. "No. No hands... or mouths... down there. Not tonight." Placing her hand on Dave's jaw, she gently lifted his head up so he was looking at her. "Just make love to me."

They had reached an wordless agreement. In an almost businesslike matter, he tugged the underwear off her hips, sliding them down her legs, letting his hands linger on her thighs, her calves and ankles. She took a shuddering breath as he discarded his own boxers, and she shifted her legs so she was holding him between her knees. Their bodies were begging for each other, something they could both see, but they hesitated for one instant. There was a moment when they looked at each other, his elbows by her ears, her arms around his neck, their breath intermingling, waiting for the others approval. Silently, it was given, and Dave carefully leaned in, sealing the deal with a kiss.

There was no way around it- it stung. Instinctively, her thighs clamped around his waist in pain, nails digging into his shoulder blades, and she gritted her teeth. Instinctual tears sprung to her eyes, and she wondered if she was bleeding. It seemed appropriate- love was a two sided sword. As much as it hurt, it was beautiful, and it seemed right that physical love should be the same. Lust was one thing, but Dave's expression reassured her that this was more than that. She felt his lips on her cheek where the tear had slid down, and then on her lips, where she could taste the salt. They lay there for a few minutes before he spoke. "Tell me when it's okay."

His voice was huskier than usual, probably out emotion or physical need. In that moment, she loved him for caring. For waiting. For everything. Pressing a light kiss to his lips, she nodded, letting her body relax enough for him to move.

It wasn't nearly as painful as the initial thrust. Dave was going slowly, almost definitely for her sake. The warm pool of heat in her lower abdomen was getting hotter by the thrust, and she noticed the almost imperceptible movement of her hips moving against his. Sweat broke out all over, and she felt her arms drawing him closer, her hands exploring his back, holding him closer to her. His mouth found her nipples again, and she squeaked, biting her lip. His tongue was almost sinfully talented. On one hand, part of her mind wondered if it was innate talent. On the other hand, her mind was growing fuzzier, and she realized she was panting. A leg curled around his waist, holding him against her.

When he pulled away to kiss her, she realized his face was a lovely shade of pink. Small pants and grunts were the only noises in the room besides the creak of the wooden frame below them and the rustling of the sheets. She clutched the duvet in a vain attempt to keep herself from gasping as Dave picked up the pace, rocking against her as their bodies finally overtook their minds, greedy lust begging for more, undulating hips meeting hers, bone against bone, sweaty skin against sweaty skin. Her face, burning up with heat and pleasure, hid against his neck, neither of them bothering to try hiding any noises they were making. Dave's breathing was getting especially erratic as he sped up again.

She bit his shoulder, could feel his heart beating almost violently. He gasped out loud, and went then made an odd noise, somewhere between a squeak, a strangled gasp, and a grunt as he came, shaking with pure physical feeling. His hips slowed down as he gasped, and she clenched her thighs around his waist as she felt her body's release.

They lay there for a few minutes, trying to catch their breath. Jade could feel Dave's arms around her, and she clung to him, sticky and still shuddering from everything that had just transpired. She hadn't expected to orgasm, at all. They stayed there, not moving until they were breathing normally again. The silence went on, but it was more of a stunned silence than anything else. The whole thing had taken ten, maybe fifteen minutes, total, but they lay there in silence for much longer than that, simply breathing.

Dave was the first one who spoke. "I seriously can't think of anyone else I would have rather shared that moment with."

"That's not what cool kids are supposed to say, Dave." She rolled over almost lazily, so she could see his face. "Most cool kids are covered in bitches or whatever."

"Most cool kids don't know anyone like you. Actually, most cool kids are dead."

"How macabre. You flatter me, Strider."

"I'm serious. You're like the really cute and super sweet nerdy chick who makes the quarterback fall for her because she's actually just a super hot chick with glasses in one of Egderp's sappy romantic movies."

"I don't watch soccer and none of us really went to high school, so I'm not exactly sure what a quarterback is. It _is_ soccer related, right?"

Dave smirked.

She rolled her eyes in protest. "Hey! I grew up on an island with only a pet dog and the internet, and occasionally some pilots for company, okay? I think I've done pretty well under the circumstances."

"A mutant superpuppy, you mean."

"Same thing."

"Jade, do you like your last name?"

"Huh?"

"Strider is a much cooler last name. Why don't you change it?"

"...Dave, aren't we married already?"

"Technically, I only proposed." He glanced at the pitiful daisy ring, still on her left hand. "And we can't even really get married, so it's just a gesture.

"But in the Strider family, we get married with shades instead of wedding bands." He fumbled about for the aviators that she'd taken off before, and ceremoniously placed them in her hands. "Jade Strider has a nice ring to it, if you'll excuse both the pun and the cliché."

"Hey, Harley's a perfectly awesome name! Also, sorry to state the obvious, but I wear glasses already." She grinned and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "But thanks."

"I'm hurt, Jade."

"Wounded, even?" She giggled, deliriously happy despite being sore. "But seriously, keep the glasses. We can't having you go soft and uncool on us, can we?"

"Try them on, for shits and giggles." Gently, he removed her round glasses, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like Harry Potter under his breath as he did, and replaced them with the Ben Stiller aviators he'd been wearing for the past six years. She wondered how she looked in them as the tinted glass obscured her already blurry vision, but Dave's amused expression gave her a vague idea.

"We should sleep." She kissed him once last time before reaching for the sheets.

"What, naked?" Dave raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we get dressed?"

She grinned at him. "I don't want to get dressed. If you don't want to sleep..." She patted the sheets next to her.

"Fuck it." Dave rolled over and kissed her before sliding underneath the covers. "Let's go to sleep, you little sex monkey."

* * *

><p>Casually goes off and hates herself


	4. A Beginning and an End

_"JADE! JADE!"_

_The screams of the other children sounded far away, even though she knew they couldn't be too far away. The rest of their ragtag group of terrified children was running towards her, but she didn't know how long she could hang on. She stared at the monster in disbelief, as the green stone turned red. _

_Was this supposed to be a bed?_

_She didn't know how long she lay there, everything ebbing away slowly. She was cold. So very, very cold. Vaguely, as if from very far away, she felt people crowding around her. There was screaming, and crying, and she heard someone say that there was nothing they could do about the wound, it was too deep._

_She felt people grab her hands. She didn't know who they were. John and Rose were crying, and if she hadn't been bleeding to death, perhaps she would have tried to comfort them. As it was, she tried to speak, words bubbling in her chest, but instead of speech, blood spilled from her lips as she tried to speak and ended up gasping for air._

_Why, Echidna? She had tried to help her, tried to save her along with the living denizens, and instead here she was, dying._

_Someone flipped her over. There were many faces, some she was familiar with, some she had seen in dreams only, and some she had never seen but she knew all of them. Their facial expressions varied from shocked, to stunned, others hurt, some sad. Her chest hurt. And it wasn't because she'd just been stabbed there._

_There was something warm dripping down her face. She wasn't sure if it was blood. It splashed onto the red stained stone, and she realized it was clear. Tears?_

_Was she crying?_

_Everything seemed so far away, but the last thing she saw was his face, before she finally slipped away on waves._

_He was crying too._

* * *

><p>The dream was a nasty way to wake up, in the middle of the night too. There were some memories from sburb she tried to block out forever. Dave's stunned face when the bullets tore through him. John ascending. Bec Noir howling like a wounded puppy when he died. His eyes. She could never forget his betrayed expression. This had always been a dream she'd had- she had lots of dreams, actually. Some had the guardians, some, things that never happened. But yet the reoccurring dream always had the same effect- she woke up, freezing cold. Crying. Like she was now.<p>

But she just wiped away the tears. She was alive, she had people she loved and loved her back, she had friends that would last forever, and she had a future.

Dave was dead to the world. He had been since the baby was born- not theirs, John's and Rose's. They'd been staying over, which meant instead of them not getting any sleep, none of them got any sleep. Little Casey was a loud baby.

She didn't mind, though. The bubbly little girl was precious to her. Her own niece. Technically, Dave's as well, but Dave seemed rather awkward when he tried to deal with his twin sister's daughter. Especially after she threw up on him. Jade couldn't help but grin at the memory, and slid out from underneath the covers. She had something she wanted to do. Planting a quick kiss on his forehead, she snuck out of the room. She had to be quiet- she might be able to seep through a baby's wailing, but not the others. They needed to sleep.

The little girl was awake when she slipped into the nursery. John and Rose were passed out together in the guest room, leaving Jade and Casey awake, alone. The blonde little baby looked up as she closed the door behind her. She had amethyst eyes like her mother, intelligent, and yet capable of goofiness, like her father. She was perfect. And luckily for everyone else, she was quiet at the moment. There was a familiar looking, raggedy bunny in her crib, one she was clutching tightly as she cautiously approached the frilly crib-thingy.

Casey didn't protest, simply gurgled happily as her aunt picked her up. She buried her nose in the blonde curls that smelled like soap and baby powder as she cradled her against her chest, humming the lullaby she had always played on her flute, a thousand years, a lifetime ago.

"You're precious, you know that, Casey? You're surrounded by people who think you're the best thing in the world. No, the universe. No, existence! Even Dave, I promise. He's just not used to being around people that can see through his cool kid facade. Must be your mom's genes in you." She giggled at the thought, and smiled to herself as the baby cooed, unaware of everything they'd gone through.

"You're kind of a miracle! Besides Johns dad, none of us, not even our guardians, were born the normal way. You're the first! You're special. But you won't be the only one, we promise. Even though we're probably going to modify the DNA sequence so we can create other babies like you, but different, so they can grow up and have kids and what not! Without any weirdness going on!"

She paused for a moment and sighed. "Well, you may not understand a single thing I'm saying, but I like talking to you! And I have a feeling babies can understand a lot more than they let on! Like in that movie John showed me about the super smart babies. Maybe it's because I grew up with Bec, and he definitely knew a lot more than he let on.

"But, like I said, you won't be the only one. You'll have sisters and brothers and friends and family. And cousins." She lifted the girl above her head, laughing when the baby giggled. "Actually, you'll have your first cousin pretty soon! See that big bump under my shirt? That's another baby like you!" She gestured towards the swollen belly, and was pleased to see that her eyes looked down in recognition. She was a smart baby! Like mother, like daughter.

"And remember, we will always, always love you. And we'll be here for you for a long time, and you'll be there for your own babies. Promise."

She looked at the baby in her arms to find that Casey had drifted off to sleep. Oh well. Jade put her back into the pink woven mess of blankets, where she went back to cuddling her bunny. Soon, she'd be a toddler, and she'd be able to play with her cousin. It was just a matter of weeks now.

Slipping back into her room, she was surprised to find Dave sitting up in bed. Apparently, she'd been missed. "Were you off talking to the baby? You do know she can't understand you, right?"

"I don't believe that."

"You're a weird girl, Harley. Sometimes, I don't get you. Well, fuck it, I still love you anyway. How's junior doing? Still kicking? Was that why you woke up?"

"Nah. Nightmare again."

"Again?" He was frowning now, rubbing his eyes to push the curtain of sleep away for a few more minutes. "You should talk to Rose if they keep happening."

"I don't think it's a problem. I think we should talk to the trolls again. The world is about to start repopulating, and it'd be nice. They're not too far away." A small smile crosses your lips. "It's nice to have friends."

"Fine then. We'll contact them, but only after you pop the kid out. I don't want everyone freaking out about you having some weird mutation, and believe it or not I don't feel like explaining human reproduction to Terezi and the angry asshole she was dating." He leans in for a quick kiss and groans. "Jesus dick, that baby better be the coolest fucking kid on this planet or I will never hear the end of it from John and Rose."

"That's silly, Dave. And we really should! It's been almost two years." She disappeared under the covers with him, giggling, and even though their kissing ends at just kissing, Jade doesn't mind, just like she doesn't mind falling asleep in his arms.

* * *

><p><em>The sun shone like an angry beast, a raging firestorm over the newly made horizon, pink and orange, coral making love to red, and although the trolls all flinch instinctively, you run out laughing, arms out, hair loose, twirling in the space that you and your friends have created, and it's over, it's finally fucking over and you can be happy and you can be free. The other peek out apprehensively, and then it hits all of you that it's finally over and you don't have to be scared anymore, because this is your prize and it's beautiful, even though it's only a small payback for what you have lost.<em>

_Some cry, some laugh, some dance- Karkat starts sobbing, just to have Terezi irritably slap him across the face and kiss him as it starts to rain for the first time. And you can see love blooming like the beautiful flowers- John grabs Rose around the waist and pulls her up into the sky, to crush his lips against hers , and for once she doesn't have anything snarky to say, so she kisses him back, shy like a schoolgirl with a crush. And she doesn't even bitch about getting wet in the rain because everyone is so goddamn happy._

_You see love in everything, from the beautiful way Equius tosses Nepeta into the air, a love in the purest, most platonic sense, to Eridan grabbing Feferi's hand, and how you notice her blush but not protest. Sollux and Aradia dancing like children in a field. Kanaya hugging everyone, and smiling in Vriska's direction. Even Tavros gets in on the love, planting a shy kiss on Vriska's cheek, then Gamzee's._

_All of you friends frolic about for a while, and after laughing and splashing about, you all collapse. It's too early in the morning for anything more than love and pure happiness, born only out of complete relief and pent up childishness. The sun is rising and you just stare because everything is beautiful, and it's the dawn of a new day, both literally and figuratively._

_It doesn't matter or occur to anyone all the shit that they're going to have to do to get civilization going, although the last remnants of the game should help. And it's too early to think about sex or anything but love, so you just lay at the grass, looking at the clouds and the fading stars. Love is in the air._

_You feel Dave's hand on yours- a simple gesture that speaks volumes. He's claimed you, with just that, and you'll wait until you can both say I love you. You squeeze it reassuringly. You'll be there, with him, no matter what happens now._

_A day is starting, a game is over, the story had ended, but everything had just begun._

* * *

><p>Do you guys have diabetes yet?<p>

Sappy ending, yes, and yes, this is the end! You guys are amazing and I love you all! Thank you so much for the reviews!


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